StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. Stephen Kinzer - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Stephen Kinzer, who has worked as a foreign correspondent with The New York Times in more than fifty countries on different continents, has not for the first time wrote on this issue…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96% of users find it useful
Overthrow: Americas Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. Stephen Kinzer
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. Stephen Kinzer"

History and Political Science December 05, Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq Stephen Kinzer Stephen Kinzer, who has worked as a foreign correspondent with The New York Times in more than fifty countries on different continents, has not for the first time wrote on this issue. In this book however he has detailed all the fourteen overthrows by the American Government from Hawaii (1893), to Puerto Rico (1898), Philippines (1902), to Nicaragua (1910), Honduras (1911), Iran (1953), to Guatemala (1954), Vietnam (1963), Chile (1973), Grenada (1983), to Panama (1989), to Afghanistan (2001) to Iraq (2003). As Kinzer puts it in his book, ‘No nation in modern history has done this so often, in so many places so far from its own shores.’   Through in this book Stephen Kinzer gives us an insight on the big picture on how the American Government overthrew not just one or two but fourteen foreign governments, in more than 110 years for its personal, economic and political aim. The arguments have varied from civilizing others, to protecting others, to Christianize others and guard and liberating others, often leaving the countries in a state worse off. Whereas, in reality, America has been trying to have control over the natural resources of other countries and stretch their regime of power over the world at the same time crushing enemy ideologies. Kinzer opines that the results have however been damaging to the target nation and for America as well, in terms of human lives, security and the economic state of the country. This has, instead of strengthening the country, weakened its stability and has lit the fire of anti-Americanism across many nations. Kinzer explains why a range of invasions and operations were planned and pursued, which ultimately led to catastrophic turning point in the history of America. Kinzer’s American history of invasion tells us a tale of its bold lies, immorality and illegality. The first overthrow mentioned here is that of the coup at the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, it was for sugar, in Cuba, it was for mafia and land occupation, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras happened for United Fruits and ITT, Panama for canal and the last one being the invasion of Iraq in to ouster the regime of Saddam Hussein, mainly to have control over the oil reserves of the country. It has been the part of the US foreign policy for over a decade to elevate them, to spread their power, even if it takes them to curb other nations, while showing an innocent face to the world over. The motives of American intervention abroad have ranged from banal and trite to calculated and strategic, but the reason has always been greed. Kinzer’s Overthrow has been divided into three sections of America’s century old politics to change of hands of power, with the power always residing in the hands of America. The century saw three eras of America’s regime change, beginning with the imperial era, which witnessed the downfall of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Nicaragua and Honduras to American military, the era of cold war, which swayed action against Iran, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Chile, the era of invasion saw the American troopers barging the lands of Grenada, Panama, Afghanistan and Iraq. It tells us about the audacity of military commanders, spies, politicians and businessmen, who took it upon themselves to overthrow monarchs and presidents of nations, where America deemed a war necessary to attain political power. America’s intention was to install in their places a puppet of their own, who at times, rather than working alongside the American Government have proved to be causing problems for their foreign policy. Talking about Hawaii, Hawaii was a big time producer of sugar but they never refined it. When the American missionaries working in Hawaii saw this prospect, they manipulated Hawaii to export sugar to the US. All was going smooth but then a new regulation came up, which prevented them to do so, thus creating panic. It was here that the US suggested a coup against the monarchy in Hawaii. The revolution was a cakewalk and this also marked a downfall of the Hawaiian monarchy and finally Hawaii merged into US. Similar is the story of sugar producing Cuba. By 1898, the Cuban economy was completely dominated by Americans. It was also the market of 85% of American goods. This was the time of a rebellion against the Spanish colonial rule in Cuba, which bothered America and to help Cuba America sent its troops promising complete independence, but later they changed their minds. In Iraq, America stepped in with the facade of freeing the country from the clutches of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, but the tortures that were indicted by the American troops were far grotesque that the people of Iraq had ever suffered. America likes to portray one person as a tyrant and then attack that regime to help and free the people of that nation from that one man’s brutalities. These demons have varied from Fidel Castro, to Khomeini, to recent ones like Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein. About the Spanish American war, America was looking for a face of demon to curb but the queen or her son of 12 years weren’t the kind of people they could have chosen, so they instead chose General Weyler and casted him as the archetype of brutality and the rest is history. Similarly, America funded and nurtured Taliban in Afghanistan to thwart off the Soviets, but essentially did so to have a secure route for oil pipe line. But the plan backfired and a decade later, now Taliban is the biggest threat to America. When Iran nationalised its oil industry than to have it exploited by foreigners, America intervened and the Iranian democracy was overthrown in 1953. Shah was placed on the throne by the US, but the 1970s saw the Islamic revolution and a particular clique of Islamists who tried to oppress the interest of America and Americans in whichever way possible, sometimes violently resulting in a world crisis about nuclear issue. Had America not intervened, they would have had a friend democratic nation right in the middle of Middle East. Juxtaposing all the fourteen incidents in great detail, Kinzer believes that to satisfy the quest of power, America made some frenetic decisions. America’s strategy has always been to target small nations, mostly democratic countries. It’s a pattern that got followed from Hawaii to Iraq. Keeping the Iraq war in perspective, Kinzer informs us that the after-math of 9/11 is not an innovation, but regime change has been a mainstay of the US foreign policy. Later, the US looses its interest and the target countries are left to suffer a fate witnessing extreme terrorism and corruption. With each conquest, US saw some immediate gains, mainly corporate interests but failed to foresee the tragic long term consequences, which surfaced a few years later. Kinzer argues that the US interventions has disturbed and destabilized the world politics and have besieged the target countries into a state of complete despair. This argument is not new, but the calmness and moderate way with which Kinzer has delivered it, has gained him a larger addresses. Yet, Kinzer do not completely disagree with US imperialism, but opposes imperialism when carried out for unjustified and unfair reasons, mostly when the reasons are far away from protecting its own corporal interest and developing friendships with other regimes. Interestingly, he seems to regard the tragedy of US imperialism only because it cast a negative light on its fore bearers, thus in case of Vietnam, it was a tragedy; because it down casted President Kennedy and Johnson as administrators and only incidentally because it led to the deaths of innumerable innocent Vietnamese, as part of US war-making policies, which come as somewhat surprising to the reader. Kinzer further says that though America has fairly succeeded in ousting a foreign leader, but it has undermined its own security. Significantly, he gives the answer to the ‘Why?’ of the reader. Assessing the operations and the covert actions of regime change by American administrators, he convinces the reader with the reason why as there is so much of widespread anger and distrust about America in Europe and why the American administration’s soothing talks about spreading and restoring concord and democracy have met with scepticism across the globe. Showcasing the destructive role of American foreign policy, the book lifts the blame from former President George W. Bush, and distributes it evenly amongst all the Presidents of USA, who have held office in the past 110 years and have time and again planned and practised a regime-change of their own on governments who have displeased them with various ideologies, whether social, political or economic. It comes as an eye opener to any American who wishes to understand the historical record of their country and its international political discourse over the century. Overthrow is the answer for those entire patriot Americans who want an answer to their question, ‘Why do they (the world) hate us (the Americans)?’ Work Cited Kinzer, Stephen. Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. Times Books. 1st Edn. Print. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1438746-overthrow-americas-century-of-regime-change-from-hawaii-to-iraq-stephen-kinzer
(Overthrow: America'S Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq Essay)
https://studentshare.org/history/1438746-overthrow-americas-century-of-regime-change-from-hawaii-to-iraq-stephen-kinzer.
“Overthrow: America'S Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1438746-overthrow-americas-century-of-regime-change-from-hawaii-to-iraq-stephen-kinzer.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. Stephen Kinzer

Americas Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq by Kinzer Stephen

However, the writer, kinzer presents a very comprehensive tale propinquity to all of his narratives.... By the invasion of the Republic of iraq in the year 2003, the United States came full circle in the region of Middle East, whereby it once again enhanced the influence of... Starting with the overthrow of the monarchy of hawaii in the year 1893.... about the connecting events that came after the regime changes in the Arab world: That is in the year 1953, Mohammad Mossadegh, the Prime Minister of Iran was overthrown by the CIA for the Britons, replacing him with a tyrant who did not have any qualms about the welcoming or acceptance of foreign oil firms....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Third World War-- the Cold War

This conflict started from 1945 onwards and it lasted for over 45 years till 19911.... The Greek government has asked for an urgent help from the U.... The Third World War- The Cold War Introduction A War is an ultimate scenario of destruction.... The world has already witnessed two World wars....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

A Century of Regime Change in America

Stephen Kinzer has emphasized in his book analyzing “a century of regime change” in American foreign policy that he views this process as a “continuum” and the latest invasion of Iraq is the “culmination” of this historical evolution.... military power abroad through the use of military bases that extend the range of the Navy and Air Force, Kinzer shows how corporate interests, particularly related to the sugar industry, worked together with both the Presidential administration and military forces to establish a new government in Hawaii, protect it militarily through the deployment of Marine forces, and then to give it official recognition over the indigenous Hawaiian government led by the Queen, essentially enacting “regime change”....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Overthrow: Americas Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq by Stephen Kinzer

This study will present a critical analysis of the book “Overthrow: america's century of regime change from hawaii to iraq” by Stephen Kinzer, who has worked as a foreign correspondent with The New York Times in more than fifty countries on different continents.... hellip; In “Overthrow: america's century of regime change from hawaii to iraq”, the author has detailed all the fourteen overthrows by the American Government from Hawaii (1893), to Puerto Rico (1898), Philippines (1902), to Nicaragua (1910), Honduras (1911), Iran (1953), to Guatemala (1954), Vietnam (1963), Chile (1973), Grenada (1983), to Panama (1989), to Afghanistan (2001) to Iraq (2003)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Americas Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

Overthrow by stephen kinzer is a story of individuals who manipulated the political structure to their interest, and toppled crowned heads and presidents of their leadership.... Secondly, the need for regime change led USA to cause the downfall of foreign governments, since they had their own ideologies to put into action.... Contrary to America's acclamation of national innocence, history proves that America is an intruder in other states business (kinzer 124)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Americas Century of Regime Change

This paper illustrates that the two parts of “Overthrow: america's century of regime change from hawaii to iraq” reveal the audacious political leaders, military commanders, spies, and business executives who actively engaged in deposing foreign regimes.... hellip; The study begins with the statement that regime change has remained an integral part of the USA foreign policy for over a century.... Kinzer details three eras of the US regime change over a period of one century....
6 Pages (1500 words) Admission/Application Essay

Reaction Paperon Overthrow by Stephen Kinzer

kinzer argues that the reasons for the overthrows were mainly to assist anti-colonial elements in some of the affected countries, make changes in the democratic system, and to protect the U.... kinzer urges... The same case applied to hawaii, the government was overthrown to help American companies get access to the sugar plantations.... In part one of the overthrow, the U....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

This paper will analyze and evaluate kinzer's book Overthrow that analyzes and evaluates the impact of the United States toppling regimes since 1893 in fourteen different nations.... kinzer transforms each event into a captivating and energizing brief story.... hellip; The present research has identified that the list of foreign governments that have been overthrown by the American government is quite long according to kinzer.... kinzer is a brilliant and good author since he came up with the books idea....
6 Pages (1500 words) Book Report/Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us